Posts made in November, 2013

“Warwick in History” – War clouds passed over our heads in 1917, involving our participation in joining the conflict on European soil. Draft measures rallied the flower of our country’s manhood to combat duty. Those at home grew victory gardens and carried on in Home Defense Units like Company K, Home Guard, here in Warwick. Every Monday night was drill practice, and after a time, the company improved in its maneuvers. Captain Edwin F. Still was commander. The time came when we were called for active service to guard the aqueduct near New Paltz, under the command of...

“Warwick in History” – On this date in 1960 the American Association of University Women recognized the newly organized Warwick Branch as a new member. It was founded to promote the purposes and policies of AAUW. At that time there were twenty-eight active members. The Warwick Branch was to include women from Warwick, Greenwood Lake, Monroe, Goshen, Chester, Sugar Loaf, Florida and any others in the area interested in becoming members. The American Association of University Women was founded in 1882 to open the doors of education to women and to unite alumnae of different...

“Warwick in History” – The need of roadways through the Drowned Lands became apparent to the early settlers, and by ditching they secured land suitable enough for such roads. The ditching and draining made the rare quality of the soil apparent. The farmers in the Drowned Lands began as early as 1804 agitating for the drainage of the entire swamp for the purpose of reclaiming the waste soil. This, they believed, could be accomplished by altering the course of the Wallkill, and removing certain obstructions in its bed. In 1807, the passage of an act by the legislature...

“Warwick in History” – Pine Island became School District No. 1 of the Town of Warwick in 1813. This was called the Pochuck District, and included the area west of Pochuck Creek, including Pine Island and Merritt’s Island. District No. 2 was Amity to the Pochuck Bridge. There were several one room schoolhouses throughout what is now the Pine Island District. These were in Amity, Little York, Pleasant Valley and Pine Island. In 1925, all these schools were centralized into one large school district. The Pine Island School was built and dedicated in 1927. The Board of...